The invention relates to an apparatus that can deliver heat and radiation either simultaneously or sequentially for the treatment of cancer or other disease.
Hyperthermia therapy consists of heating tissue to a temperature above 41 degrees Celsius. It is well known that in addition to destroying cancer cells, hyperthermia can enhance the therapeutic effects of other treatments, such as radiation, chemotherapy, biological therapies and surgery.
Studies have shown that the therapeutic effect is enhanced when hyperthermia and radiation are delivered simultaneously or within a very short time interval. Certain devices are known that can combine heat with other treatments in a single applicator system. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,842 describes a method and apparatus for treating tissue interstitially with multiple modalities of treatment. Designed to be inserted into a tumor, this apparatus comprises a semi-rigid elongated member that is implanted into the malignant tumor. The elongated member contains a hollow passageway that can be configured to deliver heat, radiation or a sequence of both to the surrounding disease. The elongated member can be coated with an anti-cancer drug or other treatment.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,083,148, 5,429,582 and 6,022,308 all describe implantable devices for treating brain tumors. These devices can be configured to deliver heat therapy and/or radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy to surrounding tissue.
Published US patent application US2002/72645 A1 describes a device for simultaneously treating a tumor or cancerous growth with both hyperthermia and X-ray radiation using brachytherapy sources inserted into the tumor via needle-like introducers that also serve as microwave antennas. Microwaves are emitted from the introducer to increase the temperature of surrounding cancerous body tissue while a cooling system is included to control the temperature of the introducer surface. The implanted device heats and delivers radiation to the tissue from the inside out. Temperature sensors implanted around the periphery of the tumor monitor the temperature of the treated tissue.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,330,479 describes a microwave antenna array applicator for uniformly heating large areas of contoured anatomy for treatment of skin and superficial tissue disease such as chestwall recurrence of breast carcinoma, or for the diagnosis or treatment of other skin conditions that can benefit from tissue reoxygenation or increased blood perfusion and blood vessel permeability. The microwave applicator includes a flexible, dielectric-containing compartment (containing, e.g., temperature regulated water or oil) having a variable contour, tissue-engaging surface and an opposite non-tissue-engaging surface with an antenna array adjacent to the non-tissue-engaging surface.
Existing hyperthermia treatment methods are not designed to allow delivery of heat and radiation treatments simultaneously in the case of superficial disease near the surface of the body. Therefore, a new device is required that can deliver controlled heat either simultaneously or very close in time to radiation treatments for superficial disease.